1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an information-processing unit, a connection cable, and electrostatic-shielded connectors and plugs used for the information-processing unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
A video game players as information-processing units outputs video and audio data of video games to a display unit, wherein the console of the video game player body is connected to a display unit such as a television video receiver through a connection cable. In this case, a signaling system defines signals which can be input to the display unit, and the video game player console must output signals defined by the signaling system that is compatible with the display unit to be used.
For example, the NTSC signaling system and the PAL signaling system are available to the television video receiver. When the television video receiver to be used uses the NTSC signaling system, the video game player console must output signals that are compatible with the NTSC signaling system.
In addition, a television video receiver has its own unique signaling system, for example, the composite video signaling system or the RGB signaling system. The television video receiver has an RCA input terminal and an S input terminal, so the video game player console must output a video signal compatible with the signaling system and input terminals of the television video receiver.
With the recent increased diffusion of personal computers, there has been a gradual increase in the number of users who wish to have their video game players connected to the display units of their personal computers, when so they can use their video game players. However, the VGA signaling system as a signaling system of the display unit of personal computer is greatly different from the signaling system of television video receivers.
Therefore, when the video game player console is connected to the display unit of the personal computer, it must be set in advance so as to output signals compatible with the display unit of the personal computer.
In this case, when a video game player outputs a signal, which is not compatible with a display unit, a game screen is not normally displayed and guidance prompting a user to change setting cannot be displayed on the display unit. As a result, this event might cause the user to mistakenly believe that the video game player or display unit has malfunctioned, causing the user needless concerned.
On the other hand, considering connectors and plugs to be used for an information-processing unit to an external unit, as was mentioned above, an information-processing unit such as a video game player is connected to an external unit such as a display unit through a connection cable. Then, the information-processing unit transmits signals through the connection cable between a plug of the connection cable and a connector of the information-processing unit.
FIG. 19 shows a cross-sectional view of a conventional connector 180 to be used in an information-processing unit. The connector 180 is formed with a U-shaped section of an insulator, and has an open portion 182 and a vacuous portion 188, into which a plug is inserted and fitted. FIG. 19 shows the connector 180 of the surface-mounted type, which is mounted on the surface of a printed circuit board 185.
An upper shield 190 is set on the lower surface of an upper surface member 181 of the connector 180, and folded forward at the rear of the upper surface member 181. The upper shield 190 is a metallic spring member and the folded portion is pressure-welded to one end of a chassis 189, and the upper shield 190 bears the potential with respect to ground. Holes 191 are formed on the upper shield 190, into which projections of the plug to be inserted into the vacuous portion 188 are fitted, and function as a half lock for the plug.
Under the vacuous portion 188, a plate member 183 is positioned toward an open portion 182 in parallel with a printed circuit board 185, and a contact pin 186 is mounted on the upper surface of the plate member 183. The contact pin 186 pierces through a rear wall 187 of the connector 180, and is connected to conductive patterns mounted on the surface of the printed circuit board 185 by soldering.
When the plug is inserted into the connector 180, the conductive pin connected to the signal cable within the plug comes into contact with the contact pin 186 elastically, enabling transmission of the signal. A slit portion 184 between the plate member 183 and a lower surface member 192 is a guide for inserting the plug into the connector 180.
In this way, the ,information-processing unit is connected to multiple external units by means of connectors and plugs. However, not all the connectable external units are necessarily connected and the information-processing unit is frequently used with some plugs not inserted into the connectors.
In this case, it is possible to prevent foreign substances from coming into contact with any contact pin by covering all unused connectors. However, the provision of covers for all the unused connectors in an information-processing unit increases the production cost of the information-processing unit. Even if covers are provided for all the connectors, the user may not necessarily use the provided covers to cover all the unused connectors.
FIG. 20 shows a case where a foreign substance such as a bar 192 is mistakenly inserted into an open portion 182 of the connector 180. The conventional connector 180 has a structure where the distance between the open portion 182 and the contact pin 186 is short and it is easy for the mistakenly inserted bar 192 to come into contact with the contact pin 186.
If the bar 192 is charged with static electricity, when the bar 192 comes into contact with the contact pin 186, static electricity may destroy the insulated state of semiconductor devices in the information-processing unit by passing through the contact pin 186. This causes problems with the information-processing unit. The problems caused by static electricity can occur even when the fingertip of a person charged with static electricity comes into contact with the contact pin 186.
The information-processing unit is subjected to a discharge test, which tests resistance to static electricity. Usually, this discharge test is executed wherein plugs are inserted into connectors. However, measures need to be taken against static electricity under the condition where the plugs are not inserted into the connectors and the connectors are left uncovered, in order to reinforce the resistance of the connectors against static electricity.
The first object of this invention is to enable an information-processing unit to automatically recognize the connection cable to transmit signals compatible with the external unit, which is connected to the connection cable, when the connection cable is connected to an information-processing unit such as the video game player, in order to solve the problems involving the compatibility of signals to be transmitted between the above-mentioned video game player and the display unit.
The second object of this invention is to enable a simple mechanism, which can change an arrangement of conductive connector pins of the connection cable used in the information-processing unit, to identify the connection cable type, and further to provide a connection cable to transmit the signals compatible with the connected external unit.
To solve the problems involving the structure of the connector in the above information-processing unit, in which it is easy for foreign substances to come into contact with the contact pin because of the connector""s open shape, the third object of this invention is to provide a connector having a structure that makes it difficult for foreign substances to come into contact with the contact pin, even when no plug is inserted into the connector and the connector is uncovered.
Furthermore, the fourth object of this invention is to provide a connector, which prevents problems caused by static electricity, if an external foreign substance is inserted into the uncovered connector without a plug inserted and comes into contact with the shield before coming into contact with the contact pin.
The above first object can be achieved by providing for the connection of an information-processing unit to an external unit through the connection cable, which comprises a connector with multiple contact pins that accommodates the connection cable, and the means of sensing the state of a specific contact pin among multiple connector contact pins and recognizing the type of connection cable to be accommodated in the connector.
According to this invention, the information-processing unit has a means of sensing the state of a specific contact pin and recognizing the type of connection cable to be accommodated in the connector. This ability enables the setting of the information-processing unit to automatically change to a setting compatible with the external unit, depending on the recognition result, and reduces the operational burden on the user.
The above second object can be achieved by providing a connection cable, one end of which is connected to the information-processing unit and the other end of which is connected to the external unit, wherein the connection cable has a connector on one end and an arrangement of conductive connector pins compliant with the connection cable type in the connector.
According to this invention, a simple mechanism, which can change the arrangement of conductive connector pins, enables the information-processing unit to recognize the connection cable type. This can simplify the configuration of the information-processing unit.
The above third object can be achieved by providing a connector comprises an upper surface member, a rear wall, a lower surface member, and an open portion at the front and into which the plug is inserted, wherein the plate member is set in parallel from the rear wall to the lower surface member in the vicinity of the lower surface member, a contact pin is set on the upper surface of the plate member and a standing wall is set on the upper surface side of the plate member in the end of the plate member.
According to this invention, the connector has a standing wall on the upper surface side in the end of the plate member so no foreign substance such as a piece of metal comes into direct contact with the contact pin even when the foreign substance is mistakenly inserted into the open portion of the connector. This prevents the passage of static electricity through the contact pin and destroying the semiconductor within the connector, or prevents abnormal operation of the information-processing unit.
The above fourth object can be achieved by providing a connector on the lower surface of the upper surface member, which comprises a shield member spanning the area from the rear wall to the open portion.
According to this invention, the connector has a shield member spanning the area from the rear wall to the open portion on the lower surface of the upper surface member, so a foreign substance comes into direct contact with the shield member before coming into contact with the contact pin even when the foreign substance is obliquely inserted into the open portion into the connector. Therefore, even if the foreign substance is charged with static electricity, the static electricity is discharged to ground through the shield member and does not cause the destruction or abnormal operation of the information-processing unit.